Trail mix is a type of snack mix, specifically a combination of dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a food to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is considered an ideal snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick energy boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit or granola, and sustained energy from fats in nuts.

The combination of nuts, raisins and chocolate as a trail snack dates at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart recommended it in his popular camping guide.[1]

In Denmark the mix is known as Studenterhavre or student oats. It is mentioned in the book Dramatiske scener (Dramatic Scenes) from 1833 where the story teller buys Studenterhavre for a skilling (Danish coin like a pence).[2] Studenterhavre consist of mainly raisins and almonds but at Christmas candy in the form of chocolate pieces were added. The word "studenterhavre" is probably related to the Dutch word Studentenhaver, which is found in writing as early as 1658.[3]

In New Zealand, trail mix is known as "scroggin" or "schmogle".[4] The term is also used in some places in Australia but usage has only been traced back to the 1970s.[5][6][7][8] Some claim that the name stands for Sultanas, Carob, Raisins, Orange peel, Grains, Glucose, Imagination, Nuts or alternatively Sultanas, Chocolate, Raisins and Other Goody-Goodies Including Nuts; but this may be a false etymology.[9]

The word gorp, a term for trail mix often used by hikers, is typically said to be an acronym for "good old raisins and peanuts"[10] or its common ingredients "granola, oats, raisins, peanuts." The Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1913 reference to the verb gorp, meaning "to eat greedily".

Trail mix, apart from being a food for hikers, is served as a cheap snack to accompany drinks. It bears sometimes humorous names in certain countries, however, e.g., in Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland and Germany it can actually be purchased under these names:

Nuts, such as almonds
Legumes, such as peanuts or baked soybeans.
Dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, apples, or candied orange peel
Chocolate: chips, chunks, or M&M's
Breakfast cereals, such as Granola
Pretzels